


Joined a Gym, Got a Cat

by showgirlsteve



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/showgirlsteve/pseuds/showgirlsteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate glances down at the open book, reaching out towards the table, then stops and crinkles her brow as she examines the half-finished drawing. “You know Hot Frozen Yogurt Guy?”</p><p>She's looking at a picture of Bucky. "He goes to my gym."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joined a Gym, Got a Cat

**Author's Note:**

> An anon on tumblr requested a fic based on [a popular post](http://hawkeyesbishop.tumblr.com/post/110873091008/plantbucky-drparisa-what-i-want-from-cap-3-is) which says 
> 
> "what i want from cap 3 is sam and steve busting their asses going across the world looking for bucky and endangering their lives every 20 minutes and it cuts to bucky who is still safely in new york eating frozen yogurt  
> #’o yeah i’ve been here for like two months’#’joined a gym got a cat.’ "
> 
> Hope you like it.
> 
> (GEN, only hints at Steve/Bucky)

Steve doesn’t expect that of all the people in the world who could give him a solid lead on finding Bucky, it would be Clint’s protégé to finally crack the case.

The Avengers had assembled once again, and once the threat was taken care of, had settled into the rooms made for them in Tony’s tower. It was the first time all of the Avengers were taking advantage in the six months since Tony had made the offer. After every other mission, Steve had taken off again, always chasing the next hint of the Winter Soldier. But the trail had gone cold, for nearly two months now. Steve couldn’t justify dragging Sam all over the globe anymore, getting into danger every twenty minutes. They both needed a break.

There’s plenty of space for both of them in Steve’s apartment.

There is also enough space, apparently, for Clint to bleed all over his couch while Sam takes a nap in the other room.

“You should really go to medical,” says Steve over the top of his sketchbook.

Clint raises his middle finger in response, and continues to stare blankly at the muted television until JARVIS announces a Kate Bishop at the door.

“Katie Kate! Ow,” he exclaims, attempting to sit up.

“I’ve got it.” Steve sits his sketchbook and pencil down and goes to help Kate with the bag of things Clint had requested from his Bedford apartment. Clint ignores both of them as soon as he has the bag in his hands, rummaging through it while muttering to himself.

Kate, used to Clint’s behavior, ignores him right back. “So, Captain America, huh? That’s pretty neat. Oh, sketchbook! You draw?”

She glances down at the open book, reaching out towards the table, then stops and crinkles her brow as she examines the half-finished drawing. “You know Hot Frozen Yogurt Guy?”

“Hot…frozen yogurt guy? I don’t know who that is,” Steve says, looking down. He had been trying to draw Bucky from memory, young and happy, but at some point had added the longer hair and extra stress lines that Bucky’d had last time they met. The result was a smiling Winter Soldier, and Kate apparently recognized him.

“Yeah, the guy goes to my gym. I see him sometimes. Tall, good looking. He doesn’t talk much but he’s pretty nice. I ran into him after my krav magra class, spilled his frozen yogurt all down his shirt, and he was cool about it, so. Hot Frozen Yogurt Guy.”

“You’re sure this was him, Kate? The person in this drawing, not just someone that looks like him?” Steve picks up the sketchbook and trusts it towards Kate’s face as though having it closer will make her realize that she was mistaken. Kate takes a step back.

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s a really good likeness actually. Who knew Captain America was an artist?”

She doesn’t expect to be gathered into a sweeping hug before Steve rushes out of the room. Clint finally looks up and raises an eyebrow at the sight. Kate shrugs and turns to leave.

“Wait,” Steve calls from the bedroom door, a groggy Sam Wilson trailing behind him. “What gym do you go to?”

It doesn’t take much surveillance to figure out that yes, Hot Frozen Yogurt Guy really is _Bucky_. His hair is still long, and the metal arm is easy to catch even though he keeps it covered, but it is not the Winter Soldier who uses the free weights at Kate’s gym, who gives a flirty smile to the college student who works at the frozen yogurt counter, who stops and buys cat food on his way home.

His best friend is within arm’s reach and Steve is terrified that if he goes to him, Bucky will run again. He’s sitting at a table in the patio area of the café across the street from Kate’s gym, trying to decide the best way to confront his friend, when the problem is solved for him. Steve looks up from his tablet finds Bucky sitting across from him. He jumps, and opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.

“You just gonna stare at me forever, Rogers?” The vowels are all Brooklyn again, not like they were when the Winter Soldier was trying to kill him, but Bucky still doesn’t sound exactly the way Steve remembers. Steve doesn’t know if Bucky’s voice has changed in all the years in between, or if it’s his own memory distorting the sound. It hurts to realize those memories might be starting to fade.

Bucky is still staring at Steve from across the tiny round table. He sighs and stands up. Steve scrambles out of his own seat unnecessarily – Bucky waits for him to follow before walking away. He leads Steve to a small apartment a few blocks away.

There is a cat on the counter where Bucky puts his keys. It’s tan, and small for an adult but looks fully grown. He gently shoves it away with his metal hand.

“Get down, Grant.” The cat bumps his head against Bucky’s fingers and meows at Steve.

“You got a cat,” Steve says dumbly. He’d pictured his reunion with Bucky thousands of times. He imagined worst case scenarios where Bucky was in terrible shape, unsure of his own identity and unable to care for himself, that he might have to fight Hydra again to rescue his friend. He imagined happier reunions with hugs and declarations of love. He thought that perhaps a Bucky who had his memory back would be ashamed to face Steve, that Steve could find him and convince Bucky to come home, that everything would be okay. He imagined Bucky recovering in the months since he’d seen his friend, but he hadn’t imagined a well-kept apartment and a civilian life that didn’t include Steve.

“Got a cat, joined a gym,” replies Bucky without meeting Steve’s eyes. He stokes the cat absent-mindedly and looks up. His voice gets heavier. “Did a lot.”

Steve lets the cat sniff his fingers. “Clint has a dog,” he says. _Stupid_ , he tells himself. _Just tell him to come home, stupid. What are you talking about, Clint has a dog?_

“Think Clint’s dog would get along with Grant, here,” asks Bucky.

“Plenty of room in the tower,” whispers Steve, scratching Grant’s head. “Plenty of room for everyone.”

Their hands bump into each other on the cat’s back. Steve grabs Bucky’s hand with both of his own.

“Come home, Bucky.” His voice is barely even a whisper at this point, but Bucky answers.

“Home,” he says, squeezing Steve’s fingers. “Yeah, I can do that, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Visit me on tumblr!](http://showgirlsteve.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Kudos are great, I love you forever for comments.


End file.
